Day 17

Mörsil to Hålland
Distance: 14.0 miles / 22.5 km
Cumulative: 202.6 miles / 326.0 km

“Here comes the rain again 

Falling on my head like a memory 

Falling on my head like a new emotion

I want to walk in the open wind” 

Eurythmics, Here Comes the Rain Again, 1983

I guess we knew we would have days like this. It started raining about five minutes into our walk, let up for about an hour and a half after lunch, then opened up on us again for the last few miles. And in the morning Annie Lenox would have gotten her wish to walk in the open wind because it was howling. 

The place we stayed last night was great. It was an old barn/house combo with a couple of rooms upstairs, a kitchen and living area on the first floor, and a bathroom… in the newer main house about 25 yards away. The last bit wasn’t ideal, but the beef stew was terrific. 

The entire house was full of all kinds of antiques, vintage tools, old books, etc. This morning Kristine discovered a stocked liquor cabinet. It’s a shame we didn’t know about it last night. They also had a dart board outside so I got in a little practice. 

Look out Ralph. 

Another pilgrim, Yvonne from the Netherlands, had the room across from us. We met her two days ago at the riding school. She also is staying at the hotel/hostel where we are tonight. She has hiked the Camino, and she hiked from her home in the Netherlands to Rome. The woman likes to walk. 

Much of the first part of today was on easy trails through the forest. Since it was raining, windy, and we were covered head to toe in GoreTex, we didn’t have to worry about bugs. 

Sketchy bridge. 

The problem with the forest trails is they go through meadows with deep thick grasses. On sunny days that can be slightly annoying, on rainy days it means your shoes fill up with water. 

The second half of the day was mostly along paved roads. We deliberately took the bike route at one point to avoid more wet fields and two different people stopped to direct us back to the trail. 

We passed this cool old bridge. 

Later in the day we met Jane the pilgrim from Australia (that’s her full name). She is mostly camping. She was wet and cold and hoping to find a room tonight. 

Tonight’s accommodation was billed as a hotel. I suppose it might qualify. We have a separate room, but it is not en suite. So I will be making trips down the hall in the middle of the night. 

As a bonus though, they had a do-it-yourself burrito bar for dinner. Tomorrow we go to Åre, pronounced ore, a real town with what I hope is real hotel. 

Day 16

Alsen to Mörsil
Distance: 15.5 miles / 25.0 km
Cumulative: 188.6 miles / 303.5 km
(Two corrections—I misspelled Alsen yesterday and two days ago I added 10 extra miles to the cumulative total. Both should be correct today.)

“Hopeful, we are halfway to where we want to go; hopeless, we are lost forever.” Laozi (sometimes Lao Tzu), Chinese philosopher. 

In all the excitement about Allen the moose wrangler, I forgot to mention we passed our halfway point time-wise yesterday. Today we passed the halfway distance. 

Today’s hike started with a long steady climb that yielded some grand vistas. The weather was near perfect—low 60s, partly cloudy, light breeze. 

After about three miles the trail turned into the forest on a single track. Over the next 2 miles we crossed 3-4 streams and encountered 3-4 boggy areas. It was beautiful but all the water means all the bugs. Our Deet keeps the mosquitoes away but the little flies seem to like it. 

This is not a happy hiker. 

Shortly after we emerged we came across a well placed picnic table with a nice breeze which provided a welcome respite from the insect assault. 

The rest of the hike was a variety of dirt/gravel/asphalt roads and was generally unremarkable. EXCEPT it turned out to be a five bathtub day. 

A twofer. 

Two of these seem placed as water troughs for livestock but we are counting them anyway. This brings the total to 11. 

Day 15

Nälden to Alden
Distance: 11.4 miles / 18.3 km
Cumulative: 183.1 miles / 278.5 km

“A moose once bit my sister.” Opening credits, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, 1975 (thanks to Helen for the prompt.)

I mentioned that our host last night, Allen, works at the moose museum. It turns out the museum is right on the path so we were obligated to stop. It also turns out that the museum is not, strictly speaking, a moose museum. Although there is a strong moose component. 

Moose hooves. A little creepy. 

It is a Stone Age museum centered around some nearby rock carvings, which may or may not include moose, depending on your imagination.

The carvings are 6000 years old. 

Allen even makes a gluten free Stone Age cake to serve to visitors. 

This is Allen in his Stone Age garb with Stone Age Crocs. 

We listened intently to Allen’s explanation of how the topography of the area developed during the last ice age and how humans migrated to the area (yes humans are migratory [Holy Grail reference]) when the ice melted about 9000 years ago. Then we ate our sandwiches. 

Allen and Helene’s place is a mile or so off the official path. When we started this morning we decided to take a slightly different (read shorter) route, suggested by Allen, back to the path. This took us about three miles on a gravel road thru the forest with no signage. I had some doubts but it worked out perfectly. 

When we emerged on to the local main road, we found ourselves in the middle of the 2024 edition of St. Olavsloppet—a 210 mile, three day, running relay race from Östersund to Trondheim.  For the next five miles we were hiking along with runners periodically passing us, and a constant stream of team cars going by. 

It took me back to 2010 when I organized a team for the Ragnar Relay in the DC area (202 miles and we won the masters category). 

My Ragnar team, The Fleet Footed Fossils. 

The last part of the day was split between a wooded section and then asphalt into our destination. Tonight we are staying at a riding academy/hotel. It is, we agree, the nicest place so far. The shower has a real door. 

Day 14

Rödön to Nälden
Distance: 15.5 miles / 24.9 km
Cumulative: 171.7 miles / 260.2 km

“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” Bob Marley

I mentioned that Astrid and Rickard (I apologize for misspelling his name yesterday) were both musicians. It seems they have a tradition of playing the Pilgrim’s March (written by Rickard) as their pilgrim guests walk away from their house. We were treated to such a send off this morning and it was delightful. 

Astrid on the harpsichord and Rickard on the violin. 

But the music was not finished with us. We soon came to the beautiful Rödön church, built during the Middle Ages, and heard organ music. Kristine unhesitatingly marched inside and we discovered a wonderful organist practicing for a concert this weekend. We managed to catch her rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody, seriously. 

The first part of our walk continued along the shores of Storsjön Lake, the fifth largest lake in Sweden and home of the legendary Storsjöodjuret. Please don’t ask me to pronounce it, but it literally means The Great Lake Monster. The earliest mention of the beast is 1635. There have been hundreds of recorded sightings in the 19th and 20th century. Among them is Rickard, along with a dozen or so musicians who were playing near the shore. Rickard believes it was the horn section that attracted Storsjöodjuret. He showed us a clipping from the local paper so it must be true. We kept our eyes peeled, but didn’t see any 35 foot long, feline-headed serpents. 

The morning was considerably cooler than yesterday and made for nice hiking. The day varied between small forest roads and paths through agricultural fields. It was generally a good hike, if a little long. 

We found a conveniently located St. Olav picnic table a the top of a somewhat difficult hill for lunch. 

About three miles from our destination, we came upon the Näskotts Church. It looked lovely but even Kristine couldn’t get us inside. 

Tonight we are in a cabin with bunk beds outside Helene and Allen’s house. They served the most tasty strawberries and cream for dessert. Allen works at the moose museum. 

Bathtub count is up to six. 

Day 13

Östersund to Rödön
Distance: 10.5 miles / 16.9 km
Cumulative: 146.2 miles / 235.3 km

“Where - is - my - super - suit?!” Lucius Best, aka Frozone, The Incredibles, 2004

Ok. The quote is not really related to today’s walk, but I love The Incredibles and we spent most of the day crossing the island of Frösön. 

It was a little hard motivating ourselves to head out the door this morning. Our day off was incredibly relaxing (see what I did there). 

We love Sweden but their breakfasts… not that great. There’s usually yogurt and muesli, but mostly there’s cold cuts, cheese, tomatoes, and cucumbers. And many of the places have us make our lunches with the same things they serve for breakfast. It’s all fine. It’s just getting a little boring. Dinners have been much better. Tonight at Astrid and Rikard’s we had pulled pork over rice that was delicious. 

After our adequate breakfast, we headed out of Östersund over a foot/bike bridge across the lake to Frösön. 

Picture from the footbridge. They have a Loch Ness type legend, hence the fake sea monster. 

The first part of the hike was through suburban neighborhoods, which seemed a little weird. Then we entered a nature preserve and were immediately in dense vegetation. It was quite a bit warmer today making this section uncomfortably muggy. 

Along here we encountered another pilgrim, an older (about my age) Dutch woman with her dog. We had first met her two days ago outside Brunflo. She is pulling a little trailer with all her supplies, including dog food and camping gear. She says it weighs 40 kilograms (that’s 88 pounds in the one country that insists on being different). She’s tough. 

When we came out of the forest we crossed farm land for a couple of miles. Here we ran into another Pilgrim, Yoki. She’s Malaysian by birth but now lives in Scotland, near Inverness. She walked the next mile or so with us until we got to the Frösön church. She had a lot to say. 

Frösön church and bell tower. 

Inside the church. If you look closely you can see Kristine quizzing the docent about various saints. 

The church was built in the 1100s and renovated in the 1700s. It is colocated with the Frösön Pilgrim Center. The attendant in the Pilgrim Center gave us souvenir pins. Like I needed more weight. 

From here the path followed an asphalt road past the local airport and industrial park before we once again turned into the woods and eventually to a trail right along the lake. One more bridge crossing, then another short walk along the lake and we were at our cabin. 

From the bridge you can get a sense of how big the lake is. And you can see the mountains we will cross in the distance. 

Rikard is a retired school teacher and amateur musician who now teaches about Swedish folk music. Astrid repairs violins, and other stringed instruments. The cabin is basic but comfortable, a twin bed and a sleeper sofa, with electricity but no running water. There is an outhouse with a picture of the Mona Lisa so we got that going for us. 

It’s early. I think I have time to lose a game or two of cribbage. 

Day 12

Rest Day

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.“ Anne Lamott

Today was a vacation from an our pilgrimage. We got up late, went to a museum, walked along the lake, sat outside our favorite Östersund pub (Winston), and had a fabulous meal at the best restaurant in town, Jazzköket. If you are ever in Östersund I highly recommend it. They even have the best Gin and Tonic in the world, according to them. I had one. It was really good but… 

Me and the G&T

After dinner Kristine faded on me so I had to go back to Winston for my nightcap alone. Jacob was sad Kristine didn’t make it but happily served me an Oban 14. I will miss Jacob. 

Here are some photos from the last several days that didn’t fit into my story lines. 

This is a common color scheme but this barn showed it better than most. 

I’m sure this counts as a miracle. Someone cut this tree and St.Olav appeared. 

This is an ant hill. This is a medium sized one. We have seen them 3-4 feet tall and 5 feet across. 

This is how they do fences. I haven’t figured out why but you see them everywhere. 

Technically this is not an abandoned bathtub so it doesn’t count for the tally. 

Tomorrow we are back on the path. 

Day 11

Brunflo to Östersund

Distance: 8.5 miles / 13.7 km

Cumulative: 135.7 miles / 218.4 km

“Happiness is waking up, looking at the clock and finding that you still have two hours left to sleep.” Charles M. Schulz

Short hike; long post. 

The forecast was for light rain until 10 or 11, our B&B was comfortable, and we had a relatively short day, so we slept late and planned on leaving around 10:30. It was indeed raining but it didn’t stop as expected. Fortunately it was more a mist or light drizzle than actual rain. We didn’t even bother donning our rain gear. 

As I walked I thought about Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head, which made me think about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which made me think of Anne Bancroft. Then I realized that was Kathrine Ross not Anne Bancroft. But I was already thinking of her and I remembered she was married to Mel Brooks. This reminded me of a story told by Alan Alda. He attended the premiere of Silent Movie. He laughed hysterically throughout the movie. Afterwards, he approached Brooks and told him how funny he found the movie. Bancroft said, “That was you laughing? See Mel, I told you some idiot would find it funny.”

Now you have a glimpse into what occupies my mind as I walk. 

Despite the light rain, it was a nice walk. We followed a small road, sometimes dirt sometimes paved, along the edge of Lake Storsjön. 

More wildflowers. 

It was flat; our pace was good; we decided to wait until we got to our hotel to eat our lunch. We did take a short rest in this lovely culvert. 

Östersund is a proper city. Our hotel is in the downtown pedestrian district. It’s not extravagant but it’s comfortable. 

The church in Östersund. 

The view out our hotel window. 

Once we cleaned up we decided to go check out the area before our dinner reservation. It will come as no surprise to anyone that we ended up in a pub. Winston to be specific. It is more of a beer place but we walked the bartender through how to make a Manhattan. She did a fine job. 

Dinner was at Tre Rum. We both ordered beef dishes prepared medium rare. Kristine asked our server how to say medium rare in Swedish. Her response, “It’s the same but say it with a Swedish accent.”

Dinner was excellent or as Kristine noted, “This dinner does not scream pilgrimage.” We have not had amenities for a week and a half so we of course stopped back at the pub for a nightcap. Highland Park 12 for me, Jameson for Kristine if you’re curious. 

We are looking forward to a museum visit on our rest day tomorrow, and possibly another stop at Winston. 

Day 10

Gällö to Brunflo 
Distance: 10.2 miles / 16.4 km
Cumulative: 127.2 miles / 204.7 km

“Always seeing within
a flower at the break of dawn
the face of god.” 
Matsuo Bashō from Oi no kibomi, 1685

In 2019 I hiked small portions of the long route Bashō took in 1689 on the trip that led to his masterpiece, The Narrow Road to the Deep North. I knew little about haiku but learned to love his work. I had hoped to connect that walk with this one. Today gave me that opportunity. 

Bashō wrote many haiku about flowers. Given the nature of this walk I thought the one above fit. I have gone on at length about the mosquitos, but I have neglected to tell you about the wildflowers. OMG. From day one we have been treated to a visual feast. The number and variety is like nothing I have ever seen. We stop to marvel at them multiple times a day. They have so many flowers that they consider lupine an invasive species and are trying to eradicate it. Here are a few pics from the last several days. 

I decided to focus on the flowers because today’s hike was, well, kinda boring. We were mostly on small dirt roads. There were nice lakes and forests, but after a while it’s just more trees. 

We did find a nice bench swing someone had set by the road with an invitation to sit and enjoy the view. Here we had lunch. 

Lunch selfie. 

When we reached the village of Brunflo we stopped by their impressive church. Unfortunately it was not open and none of Kristine’s incantations worked on the door (wrong denomination I guess). 

Details are a little vague but we think the church and tower are from the late 1700s. 

About a quarter of a mile past the church, and right before we turned into a field to cut over to our B&B, a car stopped and a cheerful man in a clerical collar asked, in English, if we were on the pilgrimage. He works at a churches in Bräcke and Revsund, both of which we had passed. He was on his way to Östersund, where we will be tomorrow, and always drives the Olav route to try to encounter pilgrims. Sounds a little sketchy but a nice conversation ensued. We were the first people from the USA he has encountered on the path. He told us he has been to Los Angeles. We told him not to judge all of the US, or all of California, based on that experience. He and Kristine exchanged the secret clergy handshake and we walked the last half mile to our lovely B&B. 

Johannes the priest. 

No bathtubs today.